Detroit Tigers Still Contenders For Superstar In Blockbuster Trade: Report
The Detroit Tigers could still be very involved in the trade market for one of the biggest stars available.
Early on in the offseason, rumors connecting the Tigers to St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado in what would be a blockbuster trade, but since then those rumors have died down.
The eight-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glove winner has instead been linked heavily to the Boston Red Sox in the weeks since he reportedly vetoed a potential deal to the Houston Astros using his no-trade clause.
The Red Sox have emerged over the last week as not only one of Arenado's acceptable destinations, but potentially his preferred one as well.
With no deal coming together as of yet, Jon Morosi of the MLB Network is reporting Detroit is still a possibility to land Arenado and a destination he would at least be open to.
Arenado's fit with the Tigers could be seamless. For one, Detroit has an obvious need for an everyday third baseman, probably the biggest factor in connecting the team with Alex Bregman.
While Arenado is still owed $74 million over the next three years, the Colorado Rockies are still paying a chunk of his contract and the Cardinals would certainly have to retain some as well.
Bregman is obviously three years younger than Arenado and has been better over the last two years, but if it would still take the massive six- or seven-year deal to land Bregman as has been reported, trading for Arenado under team control for the next three years may be the higher value financial play.
Though Arenado will be 34 years old by the time the 2025 season gets underway, he is just two years removed from what was the best season of his career with a 7.7 WAR. His numbers have been moving in the wrong direction over the last two years, but Bregman's numbers have started to dip rather severely this past year as well. With a huge drop-off in chase rate and walk rate for Bregman, it's especially concerning for a player whose best offensive attribute is plate discipline.
Arenado may not be the player he used to be but he still makes the Tigers a much better team at a reasonable number which would decrease even further in a trade with St. Louis. If the trade package is right and Arenado wants to be here, Detroit should stay involved and potentially look to make the move.
